Mon Habitat dedicates two more homes in University City
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MORGANTOWN - In Elaine McVay's world, nothing makes a home ... like insulation.
And siding and gutters and landscaping.
Don't forget the roof shingles over your head and the flooring under your feet.
Yep, you have all those components, the executive director of Mon Valley Habitat for Humanity said - but there's also one more.
The most important fixture of all, in fact.
And that's the appreciative family, who may not have had the chance for home ownership otherwise, and can't wait to move in.
"They were so excited on Sunday," McVay said. "It was just so gratifying to see."
Make that, two appreciative families. Both took occupancy of the two newest Habitat homes (Nos. 73 and 74) on Saxman Drive, in Morgantown.
Residents also take ownership in the most fundamental of ways.
Each homeowner is required to put in 250 hours of muscle (sweat equity, that is) and it’s the same for other family members 18 or older who will also be living there.
Other volunteers with certificated expertise in plumbing and wiring handle the more intricate stuff.
As McVay says, the effort makes it all the more special. It makes it all the more about the faith of the enterprise.
Faith - footers, French drains and load-bearing walls included - has been the literal foundation of Habitat for Humanity International, since its founding in Americus, Ga., since 1976.
Since then, some 800,000 Habitat homes have gone up - from Tanzania to Tucker County.
Some more 40 million people in 40 countries now call Habitat houses their own.
It was the favorite outreach of former Georgia governor and U.S. president Jimmy Carter, who helped build Habitat houses going into his 99th birthday.
Mon Valley Habitat for Humanity has been part of the proceedings in Morgantown and north-central West Virginia for 36 years, McVay said - and these days, it's taking on a new mission in two districts in Fairmont.
If you're a homeowner (it doesn't have to be a Habitat dwelling) and you're struggling economically, Habitat here can help with necessary repairs that may have been neglected over the years - such as roof and HVAC maintenance, or making the address handicapped accessible, as needs change.
Again, McVay said, this particular project is centered in Fairmont.
For income guidelines and other particulars, and to see if you live in the district covered, email rehab@monvalleyhfh.org or call 304-292-0914. You may also visit Mon Valley Habitat for Humanity's website or Facebook pages, she said.
"We're honored to be able to help," the executive director said.